The Power of Three Slayers
by ShadowsOnTheMoon
Summary: Three women are brought together to fight evil; along the way they learn about their heritage, their past lives, and their destinies. They mark the combination of the Charmed Ones and Slayers - but will they be enough to save the world? *on hiatus*
1. Chapter 1

Pepper was new to the city. Nobody knew that; not because she was keeping it a secret, but because she never talked to anyone for long enough for them to actually care. Yet she couldn't help but feel that everybody knew, and everybody talked about it. She could imagine them whispering about her.

_Who's that new girl?_

_Where'd she come from?_

_What's her story?_

She smiled, not because she was happy, but because it was easier than to frown, which was what she really felt like doing. She balanced some plates on her arm and headed back out, looking straight ahead the whole time, never making eye contact with anyone. She gave the plates to the right people, said some polite words to them, and then left as soon as she could.

Waitressing wasn't her ideal career. She'd always wanted to be a writer, but she'd given up on that dream a long time ago. Now it wasn't about ideal; it was about realistic. And this little cafe had been the only place she could find employment, and the little apartment she rented was the only place she could live, and this big wide city was the only place she could think of to try and make a fresh start, a clean break.

She made her way over to a young girl sitting by herself. She'd ordered only a salad and a glass of water, and was now sitting with a vacant look on her face, absently twirling some shreds of parsley around on her fork. Pepper reached over to top up her glass, and the girl – not much older than herself, she thought – flashed her a polite smile.

When Pepper was younger, she and her friends had once gone to a graveyard. They'd been making ghost noises, trying to scare each other, and acting like they weren't scared. She always wondered if she were the only one who really had been. At one point she'd passed underneath a tall tree with hanging branches, and right across someone's grave. She'd suddenly had a strange feeling, like she was walking over her own grave, or like she was missing something. When she'd told her friends about it, they'd said it was just because the tree had cast shadows over her and made her cold, but she didn't think so.

Now that same feeling came over her, and she was so surprised that, halfway through filling up the glass, she jumped and knocked it. She barely had time to realise this before the glass stopped falling – and then she had even more things to process, because although it had stopped falling, no one had caught it and it hadn't hit the ground. She stared at the girl she'd been serving, who had her hands outstretched, like she'd jumped too, and was looking at her with such a startled expression that Pepper almost laughed.

Then she looked around at the cafe, and saw that nobody else was moving. Everything was frozen, like she'd walked into a painting where only she and this girl were alive. Flies stopped in motion; two men shaking hands at another table were still, giving each other frozen smiles; a little girl who'd been in the process of dropping her ice cream was staring at it as it stayed an inch above the ground. And the glass of water was poised in mid-air, the water splashing out all sides, but frozen, almost like ice.

"You didn't freeze," said the girl.

"You froze everyone else," replied Pepper, stunned.

Then there was silence, utter silence.

And then there was noise. The glass crashed to the floor, shattering and spilling water everywhere. The flies kept buzzing, the two businessmen broke away, and the child's ice cream hit the ground and formed a melting puddle. Pepper stared at the girl for a moment more, then her instincts kicked in and, looking at the broken glass, she said, "I'll go get something to clean that up."

The girl mumbled something, and Pepper hurried off. When she came back with a broom and a towel, the girl was on her way out of the cafe.

"Wait," Pepper called, laying the broom against the counter and slinging the towel over her shoulder. "Hey, wait."

The girl looked back, an unreadable expression on her face. Then she dropped a few coins on the table and hurried off. Pepper untied her apron and rested it on the counter, calling to her boss that she was going to take her break now, and then she raced after the woman.

She caught up with her about fifty metres down the street. Grabbing her arm, she pulled her into an alley.

"Hey," said the girl, "watch it."

Pepper glanced down at her hands, then let go, murmuring, "Sorry."

"What the hell is going on?" demanded the girl, folding her arms.

"I think I should be the one asking the questions," said Pepper.

The girl didn't object, just looked away, so Pepper said, "What happened back there? You did that, didn't you?"

"No," said the girl, meeting her eyes again. "That's crazy. I didn't do that. I couldn't have."

"Then what did?"

The girl went to speak, then realised she had nothing to say.

"You must have done it," pressed Pepper. "No one else could have – or would have. They froze, all of them."

"You didn't."

"I know," said Pepper. "I'm still trying to work that out."

After a pause, she went on. "Have you ever done that before?"

The girl shook her head. "No. I still don't think I did it then, anyway."

"Didn't you feel anything?" asked Pepper, remembering how she herself had felt an odd tingling, like walking over a grave. "Like a sensation, a tingle, a _feeling_?"

The girl hesitated, and then said, "I guess so. I mean, it was kind of -"

She stopped, but Pepper urged her on, and finally she said, "It was a feeling of power. Of... well, if I didn't know any better, I would have said magic."

"What do you think's going on?" asked Pepper.

The girl offered her a weak smile. "I think I'm losing my mind."

A second later, there was a noise off and to the side. The girls spun around, and saw something there, something... inhuman. It was like a person, but it wasn't – it had a face that was all wrong, a way of holding itself that was just slightly off, smooth movements that no human being could have. The creature moved towards them, sticking to the shadows, and they saw that it had what looked like glistening fangs.

Pepper screamed, and so did the other girl – who also, in her panic, flung her hands out in front of her. The creature froze. The girl dropped her hands, breathing heavily. Before she could speak, Pepper tugged her on her sleeve and started running, and she followed.

As they raced down the street, Pepper gasped, "Still think you're crazy?"

"Now I know I am," replied the girl, with the tiniest hint of a laugh.

Pepper led the way to her apartment, which was nearby. They didn't slow down until they were inside, the door locked behind them. Then Pepper collapsed onto her bed, panting, and the girl sat down on one of the chairs, equally exhausted. When they'd regained their breath enough for speech, the girl said, "What the hell was that?"

"I have no idea," replied Pepper.

They were silent for a moment, and then she offered, "I'm Pepper, by the way."

"Philippa," said the girl. "Call me Philly."

There wasn't even enough time for them to enjoy the normal moment before Pepper's phone rang. It was work, and they wanted her back now. She hung up with a sigh.

"I have to go," she said, getting her coat. "But you're welcome to stay here, if you want."

Philly shook her head, getting to her feet. "No. But thanks."

They left the apartment and went their separate ways without another word.

As soon as they were gone, a man stepped out from the kitchen. He was tall, with a small scar just under his left eye, and a solid build. He was dressed in casual clothes, his jeans ripped at the knees and his boots covered in mud. He stared at the door, at where the girls had gone, and he smiled, just a little.


	2. Chapter 2

Pat was late. This was unusual for her, but she'd been held up in traffic. Telling herself it couldn't be avoided, she still felt annoyed as she got out of her car and made her way across the street. There was a guy there in a smart-looking suit, tossing a key up and down in the air. He saw her, caught the key, and smiled.

"I'm glad you could make it," he said.

"Sorry," replied Pat. "I got -"

"No problem," he interrupted. "Let's get on with it then."

She followed him up to the door, waited for him to unlock it, and then stepped inside. The house was huge, easily twice the size of where she currently lived. It was old-fashioned, but in a charming way. The old owners had left all the furniture behind, so it had a nice lived-in feel to it. After she'd looked around at the bottom level she made her way upstairs, to more bedrooms, another bathroom – and an attic. The door to the attic swung open easily, and she walked inside, feeling an odd mixture of familiarity and excitement.

This room, unlike the rest of the house, was bare. At the opposite end the windows looked out into the street; they were closed, but they still let some sunlight in, so the room didn't look foreboding at all. In fact, it felt comfortable. As Pat wandered around, she found that she kept coming back to one place.

Crouching down, she rested a hand on the floor. It felt warm, tingly. With a start she jumped back, and then she reached down again and felt around the edge of the floorboard. She wasn't too surprised when she realised it was a loose floorboard, and she gently eased it up. There, nestled in the very floor of the house, was a book.

She picked it up, putting the floorboard back in place, and sat down to read it. It was old, and thick, with a leather-bound cover announcing its importance as _The Book of Shadows. _She could hear the agent moving around downstairs, so she flicked through the book. It was almost laughable, the kind of things it contained: spells, potions, information on demons and warlocks and time travel. She went to put it back where she found it – _Who reads this kind of stuff anyway? -_ but the agent came in the room.

He saw her holding the book, and his eyes flashed with something close to longing. Then he came towards her and said, "What is that?"

She stood up, dusting off her pants, and handed him the book. "I have no idea. I just found it."

There was a sound like a sizzle, and then the book fell to the floor, the agent nursing his hand like it had hurt him. Pat stared at him, puzzled, but he just said, "Should we go back downstairs then?"

She nodded and followed him, but couldn't stop herself from casting one last look at the Book of Shadows where it lay on the floor. And she could have sworn that, for the smallest moment, the symbol on the front had glowed with golden light.

* * *

Philly got home, feeling completely exhausted. It had been the longest, strangest day of her life, and it wasn't even dark yet. When she opened the door, she was both surprised and pleased to see her boyfriend sitting on the end of her bed.

"Jack," she said brightly, going over to greet him with a kiss.

She stopped short, realising that he reeked of alcohol, and her hopes fell. She went to the little kitchen and put her bag on the table, ignoring Jack's incoherent mumbles. Then she noticed the pile of letters on the bench, and felt her heart plummet with every one. Bills, all of them. How was she going to pay them? She'd just been fired from her job as a bartender, and Jack's job as an electrician barely made enough money for his own place, let alone hers too. She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Turning around, she saw Jack leaning against the door frame, a bottle in his hand.

"Hey, gorgeous," he slurred.

"You're drunk," she said dismissively.

He shrugged. "So-so."

Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "You know, I wish you'd just give it up entirely, or drink so much that you kill yourself."

As soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't. It had been an awful thing to say, and she didn't mean it – did she? She wrapped her arms around herself, as if to stop her from saying any more hurtful things.

Jack's face changed from dumb incomprehension to vague indignation, and suddenly he was shouting at her, shouting so much and so loud that, without giving herself time to think, she threw her hands up, and he froze.

She stared at him, at his silent, frozen features, and she resolved to get out of the house as soon as she could. A moment later he unfroze, and she said, "I have to go."

Then she was out the door and running, as fast as she could. She ended up at a nearby park, where she sat down on a bench with her head in her hands and tried to calm down. He could be such a jerk sometimes, but when he was sober, he could be sweet and kind and thoughtful. She'd always told herself that the second the bad times became more frequent than the good, she'd leave him, but the lines had blurred and she'd become less sure of herself, and so here she was, three years later.

She closed her eyes, pressing the heels of her hands into them, trying to stop the dull ache behind her head. Suddenly someone said her name, and, looking up, she saw her friend Luke.

"Hey," she said, sitting up straight and wiping away frustrated tears.

He was wearing his trademark carefree smile, and she felt better as soon as she saw it. "What's up?" he asked, noticing her tears.

She wiped her eyes on her arm and muttered, "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing," he said, but without emotion, just stating a fact.

She managed a weary smile. "I know," she said.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. He didn't push her for information, and she appreciated that. He'd always been like that – quiet, unassuming, her rock. Whenever things changed, she'd go to him, the one person who'd always stayed the same, stayed true to his endearing self. Though he never pushed her, she always found herself opening up to him.

"Jack and I had another fight," she said finally.

He nodded, as if he'd been expecting it. "What was it about?"

"I don't even know," she said. "I was tired, and he was drunk, and I guess we both just snapped."

"Give it time," he suggested. "Wait till tomorrow, then go and talk to him."

She didn't say anything.

"Am I right?" he said.

She smiled. "You're right," she said. "As always."

He put his arm over her shoulders and drew her close, reassuring her with his warmth and steadfastness.

"How about we meet up for lunch tomorrow?" he said after a while.

"I'd like that."


	3. Chapter 3

Looking again at the number, scrawled across a napkin, Pepper smiled. The guy had been cute, no doubt about it. He'd ordered a drink, and when she'd gone to give it to him, he'd said, "Do you see that giant penguin over there?"

After all she'd seen that day, she almost expected to see an actual penguin, but looking around, there was nothing. She turned back to him, a question in her eyes.

"No?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

He grinned. "Want to know what it's doing?"

Playing along, she said, "Sure, what's it doing?"

"Breaking the ice for me."

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep herself from smiling.

"You have a beautiful smile," he told her. Then he shook his head and said, "God, did I really just say that? I'm sorry. I must seem like the biggest jerk."

"Believe me," she said, "I've seen worse. Way worse."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said, then, realising the implications of that, backtracked. "I mean, I'm not happy you've met jerks. I'm just happy that – oh, forget it."

She smiled. "I know what you mean."

"Good," he said, "because otherwise it would be awkward for me to do this."

He scribbled his number down on a napkin, handed it to her, and said, "How about we meet up sometime?"

She paused.

"The ball's in your court," he said, tossing her another smile, and then he left.

Now, she was holding the phone in one hand and the number in the other, and she was still undecided. Call him? Don't call him? Call him to tell him she wouldn't be calling him? She sighed, and, just as she was about to put the phone down, acted on her impulse and dialled the number. He picked up quickly.

"Hello?"

"Hi," she said. "It's Pepper. From, uh, from the cafe."

His voice brightened. "Hi!"

"I was thinking maybe we could meet up," she said, the words tripping over themselves in the haste to leave her mouth.

"I wouldn't have a problem with that," he said. "How about we meet at the cafe tomorrow? Say, twelve?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

The phone was ringing. Throwing her bag down on the table and sprinting down the hall, Pat managed to make it to the kitchen and pick it up in time.

"Hello?" she said.

"To whom am I speaking?" asked a voice.

Pat told them, and the voice said, "Ah, yes, well, I called the other day to schedule an appointment."

For a second Pat's heart missed a beat. That hadn't been today, had it?

"I know we said that it would be tomorrow at three," continued the voice, "but something's come up, and we'd like to reschedule."

The appointment had been to discuss a job opportunity. Pat had no intention of taking it, but she was curious to see how the job compared to the one she already had, and loved. She'd had to rearrange a meeting to make this appointment, and now they were calling to reschedule.

"It wouldn't be too much," said the voice. "We'd just have to bring it up a few hours. Does midday work for you?"

She felt a sudden surge of anger. The way the person on the other end of the line was so calm about this, so nonchalant, even though it was creating so much hassle. The pencil sitting on the edge of the table suddenly flew onto the floor. Pat stared at it, and when the person repeated the question, she felt more anger, and the pencil shot across the room.

Her heart beating painfully fast, she said, "That sounds perfect."


	4. Chapter 4

The cafe was crowded today. Pepper had just finished her shift, and she was hanging up her apron, when she realised she would be late. She scanned the room, but she couldn't see the guy she was meant to be meeting. Ducking into the bathroom, she pulled her hair out of the no-nonsense ponytail and let it hang loose around her shoulders. She quickly reapplied her make-up, then went outside to meet someone who wasn't even there.

* * *

Luke had never been late before. Not to school, to parties, to the dentist. Yet Philly, looking at her watch, could see that she'd been waiting there for twenty minutes and he still hadn't turned up. She was tempted to just order anyway, so it would be here when he came, but before she could, she saw a girl walking over to her. With a combination of relief and annoyance, she recognised her as Pepper, the girl she'd met yesterday.

* * *

Trying to ignore the irritated look that Philly gave her, Pepper made her way over.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked.

When Philly shook her head, Pepper sat down opposite her.

"Waiting for someone?" asked Pepper.

Philly nodded, unwilling to give any more information.

"I've actually just been stood up," said Pepper conversationally.

Unsure how to respond, Philly said nothing.

They were saved from this awkwardness by the sudden arrival of an unexpected guest in the middle of the cafe. The first thing they noticed was that it came out of nowhere; the second was that the thing wasn't human. Philly jumped, and froze it. Pepper, like before, didn't freeze, and was still fascinated by how everything else did – people in mid-step, people in mid-word. It looked unreal, and she still couldn't get used to it. Looking around, she was surprised to see that somebody else wasn't frozen.

She nudged Philly, who followed her gaze to the woman on the other side of the cafe. She was staring at them with wide eyes, and as they watched, she got up to leave.

"Hey!" exclaimed Pepper, at the same time as Philly said, "Wait!"

They hurried over to her, but as they reached her, she stepped back a pace or two, keeping a safe distance between them.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

They told her their names, and she in turn gave them hers: Pat.

Then she said, "What's going on? Why is everyone frozen? And why aren't we?"

"We're not entirely sure," admitted Pepper, glancing sideways at Philly. "But I think -"

A babble of talking broke out, and the girls realised everything had unfrozen – including the demon. Nobody else had noticed it yet, so Philly quickly froze it again. She was getting used to this power, she realised, and the thought both excited and terrified her.

"I take it that's not one of the good guys?" Pat said, gesturing at the demon.

"We're thinking not," replied Philly.

Pat closed her eyes, and before they could ask what she was doing, she opened them again and squinted. Pepper and Philly watched as the demon went flying, right out of the cafe.

"How did you do that?" asked Philly.

"Don't ask me," replied Pat. "Let's just get out of here."

Everything unfroze then, and the girls hurried out of the cafe. They walked together, not sure where they were going, and they stopped at a park nearby, desperate to sit down. It wasn't that they were physically tired – they were just overwhelmed, and they either needed to stop right now or keep running forever.

"This week has been crazy," Philly said, rubbing her temples with her fingers.

"I agree," muttered Pat.

"I think it's been kind of fun," said Pepper, giving them a grin when they gazed at her in surprise. "What?" she said. "It has."

Philly rolled her eyes. "I swear, it's like I walked into some messed-up magical world."

"Magic," murmured Pat.

"What?" said Pepper.

"Nothing," replied Pat. "It's just -"

She hesitated, and the others waited tensely for her to finish her sentence. She didn't, and changed track instead.

"Can you two meet me tomorrow?" she said. "Here's the address."

She wrote it down on two separate slips of paper, and gave one to each of the others.

"Come here at ten tomorrow."

"Why?" asked Philly, looking at the address. It was over the other side of town.

"Just do it."

* * *

Pat got there a few minutes early. Since she'd set up the meeting, she didn't want to be late. Not that she ever wanted to be late, but she figured today was especially important. Pepper was the next to get there, followed by Philly. Both looked a little confused, and when they looked at the house, it was with both awe and wonder in their eyes. The real estate agent turned up at ten, and he let them all inside.

"Could you start sorting out the paperwork for me?" asked Pat.

The agent nodded and sat down at the table to get the forms ready.

"Come on," Pat muttered to Philly and Pepper, and led the way upstairs.

The Book was where she left it, sitting on the middle of the floor. She picked it up and showed it to them.

"What is it?" asked Pepper, reaching out to touch it.

Pat handed it over to her, and she skimmed over the first few pages.

"It's all about magic," she said, seeming surprised.

"Give me that," said Philly, and she flicked through it as well.

"Have a look at this," said Pat, taking the Book back and turning to a page towards the end.

It was titled _The Charmed Ones_, and detailed the story of a group of sisters: Prudence, Piper, Phoebe, and, later, Paige. They were the most powerful good witches in all of history, the culmination of the Warren line. They'd battled demons and warlocks and fairytales and everything in between, they'd been gods and mermaids and vampires and one had even been the Queen of the Underworld, they'd loved and lost and died and been revived. It was an incredible story – and yet somehow believable. The girls sat down to read it, and at the end, they felt as strange sense of deja vu.

"It all seems so familiar," said Pepper, echoing their thoughts.

"And wait for the creepy part," said Pat, pointing out the part that listed their powers.

"I guess I'm like Piper," said Philly. "I can freeze."

"And I can move things," said Pat, "like Prue."

"Which leaves Paige and Phoebe," said Pepper. "I haven't shown any powers yet."

"It says that Paige could 'tele-orb' things," said Philly. "Try it."

Pepper tried calling for various things, and none of it worked. Then she tried to get a premonition from something, but it didn't work either. She shrugged.

"Maybe I don't have any powers," she said.

"It's not accurate anyway," said Philly. "I mean, these girls were sisters. We're not."

"I'm adopted," Pepper admitted.

"So am I," said Pat.

They looked at Philly, and waited.

She raised her eyebrows. "Well I'm not, so there goes that theory."

"Maybe we're their descendants or something," suggested Pepper.

"Hey," said Pat suddenly, who was looking through the Book.

"Hey what?" asked Pepper, and, when she received no reply, said more worriedly, "What are you 'heying'?"

"Look at this," she said, pointing. "See this note? It says that evil can't touch the Book."

"Yeah?" said Philly. "So?"

"So I think that means we're -"

The door to the attic flew open, and there stood the agent.

"See him?" whispered Pat. "The guy, Lysle. He couldn't touch the Book. It zapped him. Which means -"

"I'm glad to see that you ladies have your powers," he said, giving them a silky smile. "Just in time for me to kill you."

"Oh boy," said Philly, backing away.

Pepper began to back away as well, but Pat stood her ground.

Lysle suddenly disappeared, reappearing just behind Pat.

"How did you -?" asked Pat.

He pulled a knife from his pocket, grabbed Pat, and held it at her throat.

"Give me the Book," he said.

"No," said Pepper quickly, trying to ignore the hurt that flashed in Pat's eyes.

"Why not?" asked Philly.

"I don't know," replied Pepper. "It just doesn't seem like a good idea to give a powerful book of magic to someone who's _evil_."

"Oh."

"Wrong choice," said Lysle, and then he disappeared again – taking Pat with him.

Pepper and Philly looked at each other, at the Book, at the place where they'd disappeared, and then Philly asked, "What now?"


	5. Chapter 5

They were in an abandoned house. That's all Pat could tell from where she was: tied to a chair in the middle of the kitchen. Her hands were bound behind her, ropes tight around her middle and attaching her to the chair, and each foot tied to a separate chair leg. She wasn't gagged, though, or blindfolded, which she was grateful for. She tried moving something, anything, but she didn't have enough control over her powers. She bit back a scream of frustration.

"It's strange that your friends didn't think you were worth that Book," said Lysle, who was leaning against the counter, watching her with amusement.

"They did the right thing."

"Is that what you think?" said Lysle. "You don't think they'll be desperate enough and clever enough to find you – and then stupid enough to come and save you?"

"What are you going to do to them?" demanded Pat.

Lysle laughed. "You've got heart, girl. I like that."

"Someone will find me," she said. "Someone will save me."

He shook his head. "Don't you understand? That's what I'm hoping for."

Throwing caution to the wind, she opened her mouth and screamed. Lysle pulled a rag from his pocket and tied it roughly around her mouth, cutting off her scream.

"Not a good idea, pretty girl," he said, returning to his place by the counter.

She glared at him, but she still couldn't move anything.

"They'll give me the Book, you know," he said.

She looked away.

* * *

"What good is a book of magic if it can't help us save her?" said Philly in frustration, slamming it closed.

"We'll get her back," Pepper assured her, opening the Book.

After a minute of looking, she said, "Hey, look."

She pointed to the page, which was labelled _Scrying_. "It says you can use this to find people, like witches."

Philly looked at it. "Okay, we need a map, and a crystal."

"There should be some around here," said Pepper.

They looked around, and found what they needed, then set to work. They tried for a full half hour before they finally gave up.

"It's not working," said Philly, dropping the crystal and scrunching up the map.

"It'll be okay," said Pepper.

Philly turned to her. "How?" she demanded. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I don't," said Pepper. "But I have to keep telling myself that it will be, or I'm going to get so upset that I'm likely to throw myself in front of the nearest bus."

There was a rustling, and the girls turned their attention to the Book, which was now flipping pages by itself. It finally settled on a page.

Pepper, leaning closer to read it, muttered the title: "Warlocks."

* * *

"Maybe you're right," said Lysle, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe they're not coming after all."

Even if she could, Pat wouldn't have replied. He looked at her, and she met his gaze, defiant. He shook his head, amused, and came closer to her, crouching down in front of her.

"You probably know what they're up to, don't you?" he mused.

Pat looked away.

"Come, now," he said, stroking her cheek. "Don't be like that. I just want the Book. You and your little witch friends will be safe."

Her eyes drifted back to his, and she gave a weary, self-loathing look, which Lysle jumped upon.

"You're going to tell me, aren't you?" he said, delighted. "You're going to tell me what your sisters are doing, and how I can get the Book. Aren't you?"

Slowly, she nodded. Standing up, he removed the gag from her mouth.

"Now, what -?" he began, but she started shouting, calling for help, anything, anyone.

A shape began to form a few feet away from them: blue glittering light, taking on the form of a person. Before Pat could even blink, a man was standing in front of her. Her eyes took in the small scar beneath his eye, his dirty clothes, his puzzled expression.

The man's eyes widened as he saw her, and then he turned to Lysle.

"Uh oh," he said, and then he disappeared in the same glittering light.

Lysle had lunged for him, but was too slow, and now he stood clutching at nothing, his eyes blazing.

"What did you do?" he snarled, spinning around to face her. "How did you know to call for your Whitelighter?"

"I don't even know what a Whitelighter _is_," Pat protested, but he came back over and tied the gag again.

"Now you've really done it," he said.

* * *

There was a faint crackle of electricity, then a shower of sparkling blue light. And then there was a man standing in the middle of their attic. Philly and Pepper both jumped, and Philly went to freeze him, but he held up his hands in a gesture of peace and said quickly, "No, wait."

"Why should we?" asked Pepper.

"Because I know where your... _friend_ is."

"What did you do to her?" demanded Philly.

"You've got it wrong," he said. "I'm not in league with the warlock. I'm one of the good guys, I swear."

After a short pause, Pepper grabbed the Book and took it over to him.

"Prove it," she said.

He looked at the Book, then at her. "What are you talking about?"

Philly, catching on, said, "If you're really one of the good guys, the Book will know. It won't zap you."

To their surprise, he suddenly smiled. It was like the sun breaking out from behind the clouds, and for a moment Philly lost her breath.

Then he reached out and, with exaggerated movements, grabbed the Book. He held it for a moment, and then asked, "Satisfied?"

Pepper glanced at Philly, and then shrugged. "I guess. The Book would know, wouldn't it?"

"The Book knows me," he said, and then looked as if he wanted to take it back.

"Who _are_ you?" asked Philly, something close to wonder in her voice.

He handed the Book back to Pepper, and took his time thinking of a reply. Finally he said, "My name is Gabriel. I'm a... well, it's sort of like a guardian angel. For good witches."

"The angel Gabriel," murmured Philly, and then she rolled her eyes. "Sure."

"The point is," he said, ignoring her, "your friend is in danger. Pat, is it?"

They nodded warily.

"Right," he said. "I know where to find her. I know you can help her. And I can get you to her."

It was too good an offer to refuse. They had no choice but to trust him – or risk having Pat's blood on their hands.

"All right," said Philly. "What do we have to do?"

* * *

There was a sparkle of blue light, and then the man was standing before her again – but this time, so were Philly and Pepper. She'd never been so happy to see them, to see anyone. But it looked like Lysle had never been so angry to see anyone.

"You called them," he accused her. "You brought them here."

She didn't have time to plead her case before he'd held out his hand, creating a glittering ball of energy there, which he hurled at her.

Pepper and Philly jumped as the ball flew towards Pat, hitting her right in the chest and knocking her to the floor. The girls were still recovering from being transported to the house, as well as from all the other events of the day, but there was no time to rest. Gabe started forward, saying, "Distract him."

"How?" demanded Pepper.

Gabe was already crouching beside Pat. He glanced up at her and said, "I don't know. Be creative."

"Okay," said Pepper, turning back to Lysle. "Uh..."

Philly was gesturing towards Lysle, a look of intense frustration on her face.

"Honey, what are you doing?" asked Pepper.

"Trying – to - freeze – him," replied Philly, each word accompanied with a shake of the hands.

Nothing happened, but Lysle was watching them, not Gabe, which was what they wanted. Then he turned, and Pepper, in a desperate bid to get his attention, said, "Hey, you."

He spun back to her, and in that second a glowing light spread from Gabe's hand and slid over Pat. After a few seconds Pat's eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright, her hand clutching her chest.

"Get over there," urged Gabe, and Pat scrambled to her feet.

The three girls faced the warlock, their Whitelighter behind them. There was a moment of horrible silence as they all realised they didn't know what to do. They could see Lysle conjuring an energy ball in his hand, and then he threw it. Pat managed to deflect it, but then he shot another one, and another. Pat flung them away and Philly froze them – it was easy enough, now that tensions were so high and so much was at stake – and Pepper stood there, feeling useless.

Then Gabe stepped up to her and whispered something in her ear. She frowned, raised an eyebrow, and then nodded.

"Stop," she said to the others.

They did, staring at her in expectation. Even Lysle paused.

"Hold my hands," said Pepper, and when they hesitated, urged, "Just do it."

Philly shrugged, then reached for Pepper's left hand, as Pat reached for her right. There was a flash of light, a feeling of power, and then the three girls began chanting, as one, "By the Power of Three, we vanquish thee. By the Power of Three..."

Lysle began to tremble, then shake.

"... we vanquish thee."

Suddenly he exploded in a dazzling array of red and black lights. The girls were thrown backwards by the impact, and they lay on the ground until they were sure it was over. Then they cautiously stood up and went over to where he'd been. There was nothing there but a scorch mark. Since none of them could figure out what to say, they said nothing.

After a while, Gabe came up to them. "Good job, girls."

"Thank you," said Philly, tearing her eyes away from the scene. "But can we go now?"


	6. Chapter 6

The girls were in the attic of the Manor. It was a strange place to meet, but it was where Gabe had brought them after the vanquish, so they hadn't had any choice. He'd said he had something to tell them, but since then he hadn't said anything. They were sitting on the floor, and he was pacing in front of them. Finally he turned to them, then sat down, and started talking.

"As you guys know," he said, "my name is Gabe. I'm a Whitelighter. It means I'm here to watch out for you guys, to help you when I can, and to guide you. What I did down there with Pat – I can do that for any wound inflicted by evil, assuming that I get there in time. You guys are three of my charges, but I have a lot more, so I can't guarantee I'll always be there; but I will try my best. If you need me, just call. I'll answer."

"That's not all you wanted to tell us," said Pat. It wasn't a question.

"That's right," he said, nodding. "I feel the need to come clean. As a Whitelighter, I have the ability to glamour – to change my appearance. Into, say, Philly's friend Luke, or the guy at the cafe that Pepper met, or the people who offered Pat a job."

The girls stared at him.

"Are you telling me -?" began Philly, then just shook her head, words failing her.

"You mean you -?" said Pepper, but she didn't have any more luck.

"You jerk," said Pat. "You had no right to do that."

"I'm sorry," he said. "But I did what I had to. Do you remember that demon at the cafe?"

They nodded. He waited.

Then Pepper's hand flew to her mouth. "That was _you_?"

He shrugged apologetically. "It was the only way I could get all of you together, and force you to use your powers."

There was something in his eyes, like he was holding something back.

"You're not telling us everything," said Philly.

He didn't flinch. "You're not ready yet," he replied calmly.

"Well," said Pepper, leaning over to touch him on the leg, "I just want to say thank you for -"

She gasped, and suddenly she wasn't looking at Gabe and Pat and Philly anymore. She saw snatches of something else: a place, a time, a guy with a bow and arrow. And she saw the guy aim it at Gabe, and loose the arrow. Then she was back where she should be, clutching her chest and holding her eyes shut tight.

"Pepper?" said Pat, rubbing her shoulder. "You okay?"

It took her a while to work up the nerve to open her eyes.

"I think so," she said. Then she looked at Gabe. "But you may not be."

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at her curiously.

"I think," she said slowly, "I just had a premonition."

She told him what had happened, with as much detail as she could. When she was finished, he was silent for a moment.

Then he muttered, almost to himself, "You really are charmed."

"Excuse me?" asked Philly, shooting him a sharp glance.

He ignored her. "Gear up, girls," he said. "We've got a job to do."


End file.
